End of Year Panic at Hogwarts
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: On its way back to King's Cross, the Hogwarts Express stops in the middle of a snowstorm. Set in Harry's seventh Hogwarts year, Completely AU, partly OOC, sick!Harry, epidemic!Hogwarts. Main char. Harry, Hermione, McGonagall, Snape.


**End of Year Panic at Hogwarts**  
**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

* * *

Harry absentmindedly listened to his friends, who were animatedly talking about their first Christmas after the war. '_Thank Merlin I don't have to go back to the Dursleys anymore_,' he thought, wondering if he really wanted to spend Christmas together with the Weasleys. At the moment, a few quiet days alone at Grimmauld Place seemed much more appealing. '_They're extremely loud and unnerving today_,' he mused, noticing in annoyance that his head was pounding and his throat was becoming sore as well. He pulled a book out of his robe pocket, which he had borrowed from the library the previous day, even if only to bury his head behind it in order to be left alone with his own thoughts for a while.

"Harry, I know that you're not reading," Hermione spoke up after a while. "Is everything all right?"

Harry inwardly groaned, thinking, '_Leave it to Hermione to watch if I move my eyes and turn the pages_.' He hurriedly opened his eyes and let the book sink, just when Ginny spoke up.

"Animagi Through the Ages," she curiously deciphered the title that was written in Medieval letters. "Are you going to learn how to become an Animagus?" she asked, sounding strangely surprised.

"Why not?" Harry asked back. "Many people are Animagi. My father was, Sirius was..." He slowly trailed off, as the thought of his godfather made tears well at the back of his eyes.

"I'd love to become one too, but if I know one thing, then it's that I won't be able to transform into any animal," Neville threw in matter-of-factly. "Harry, what do you think your Animagus form is going to be?"

Harry shrugged. "I'd love to become a griffin," he replied, somehow having the feeling as if his head was filled with cotton wool. '_I should have never joined this conversation_,' he thought, sensing a cold shiver run down his spine. '_Oh no, I'm probably getting sick_,' he realised, resolving to return to Grimmauld Place for the holidays.

"Harry, are you feeling all right?" Hermione queried, looking at him in apparent concern. "You don't look good."

"I..." Harry trailed off, somehow unable to pretend that he was fine as a violent shiver shook his body. He averted his eyes to his lap, only to notice that a strange rash was spreading over his hands. "I don't feel well," he admitted in a small voice. "What's this?" He slowly glanced up, holding out his right hand to Hermione.

Hermione let out a gasp as she carefully touched his hand. An instant later, her cool, slender hand came to lie on his forehead. "Harry, you're burning up, and I've never seen such a rash before. It looks like fireworks in various colours. Why didn't you go to see Madam Pomfrey this morning?"

"It only began right now," Harry said wearily. "I think I'll better not go home with Ginny, Ron and the twins. I'll just return to Grimmauld Place for the time being."

"You will not do such a thing. We won't leave you alone if you're unwell," Hermione replied firmly. She remained thoughtful for an instant, before she waved her wand, making a small white bird come out of the tip of her wand. Before Harry even knew what happened, the bird took off and vanished through the compartment wall. "I just sent a Patronus to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione explained in a soft voice. "She will know what's wrong with you, Harry."

Harry nodded slightly, suddenly feeling so miserable that he could not care less what was going to happen. He leaned his achy head against the wall and closed his eyes in a faint attempt to sleep until they were going to reach King's Cross in a few hours' time.

However, all of a sudden, the Hogwarts Express came to a halt in the middle of a plain field. Everyone looked around in surprise. The seventh years could remember the only time when this had happened all too well.

"There won't be Dementors today..."

"... Maybe Santa is going to board the train," the twins tried to joke.

However, everyone anxiously glanced outside, where a snowstorm was turning the world into a dark yellowish light.

'_That's exactly what I needed now_,' Harry thought, inwardly groaning in annoyance.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, worriedly staring at the door.

"We'll go and see..."

"... if we can find out something," the twins announced and headed out into the corridor.

Harry closed his eyes, tuning out the hushed conversation that took place in the compartment, while everyone was waiting for the train to continue its travel.

By the time Fred and George returned, Professor McGonagall accompanied them. "Mr. Potter, hold on for a few minutes. I will take you back to Hogwarts as soon as I have informed the students." The Headmistress let out a long sigh, before she continued, "Mr. Potter probably caught the Thestral Fire." Seeing that everyone looked at her questioningly, she explained, "One of the thestrals has taken ill this morning; however, Hagrid only noticed it after the thestrals returned from Hogsmeade, and we hoped that none of the students caught it until Ms. Granger informed us otherwise." Casting a concerned look at Harry, she said, "The Thestral Fire is not only extremely contagious but also very dangerous. Therefore, this train will take you all back to Hogwarts, and our school will be put under quarantine for the time being. Professors Sprout, Snape and Flitwick are just contacting your parents." With that she left the compartment to inform everyone else.

An instant later, the train began to move again – in the direction of Hogsmeade. '_I just want this to end_,' Harry thought, feeling absolutely miserable. He inwardly sighed in relief, when he heard Professor McGonagall return and felt her hand on his shoulder.

"Harry, I'm going to take you back to Hogwarts with a Portkey," she said in a soft voice.

"Professor, may I come with you please?" Hermione suddenly asked. "I don't feel well either."

Harry opened his eyes and looked up in shock. '_No, not Hermione_,' he thought, terrified. '_I don't want her to feel like this_.' However, even if his vision was slightly blurry, he could see the firework-like pattern on the girl's cheeks.

HP

Before Harry knew what was happening, he found himself lying in a bed in the hospital wing. From the voices nearby he knew that Hermione was occupying the bed next to himself.

"Don't worry Ms. Granger, we'll do our best to find a remedy before that," Madam Pomfrey said patiently. "Since this disease mainly affects younger people, I expect that all teachers will be able to look after those, who catch the Thestral Fire, so that Professor Snape and I can concentrate on developing an antidote. Until then, we can only give you pain relieving potions and fever reducers to make the situation as bearable as possible for those, who are affected. Now don't worry and try to get some sleep."

'_She must have spelled something into my stomach_,' Harry mused as he slowly drifted off to sleep. '_I feel much better_.'

HP

Apart from a few torches that were lit between the windows, the hospital wing was lying in the dark, when Harry woke up the next time. From the absence of multiple breathing and snoring sounds, he realised that Hermione and he were still the only patients. '_Now that's strange, if this is as contagious as McGonagall told us earlier. Is everyone else all right?_' he wondered.

Suddenly, he could hear steps, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the Potions Master cross the room in a fast speed. The wizard entered Madam Pomfrey's office, apparently leaving the door ajar, since Harry was now able to hear voices.

"We need phoenix tears," Professor Snape said. "I can't believe it. All these years, when we had a resident phoenix here in the castle, we barely ever needed phoenix tears, but now that we urgently need them, we don't have a phoenix available."

"I can try to summon Fawkes," Professor McGonagall replied slowly. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to do so, but I can ask Albus." She called Malcolm, her personal house-elf, and instructed him, "Please tell Master Albus to join us here in Poppy's office tonight."

"Minerva, are you feeling well?" the Potions Master queried, sounding concerned. "How will his portrait be able to come here by itself?"

The Scottish lioness chuckled. "Not his portrait, Severus. Did I forget to mention that Albus' ghost is living in my quarters?"

'_Dumbledore's ghost?_' Harry thought in disbelief. '_Am I delirious, or did McGonagall really say that?_' He impatiently waited for the conversation to continue, and his eyes widened when a well-known voice penetrated his ears.

"Good evening, Poppy and Severus, my boy," Professor Dumbledore said... '_No, his ghost_,' Harry corrected himself. He listened how the adults spoke with the ghost about the war, before Snape finally asked about Fawkes.

"Of course I can summon Fawkes for you, my dear boy," Dumbledore replied gently.

'_Too bad that he can't offer lemon drops anymore. That's really missing_,' Harry thought, wondering why he felt so sarcastic towards the old wizard. When he saw a flash indicating Fawkes' arrival, he was very relieved but also tired and decided to go back to sleep. He only woke up again a few hours later, when the door to the hospital wing was slammed shut and quick footsteps crossed the room. '_Snape again_,' he realised without even opening his eyes.

"Fawkes' tears don't work for the antidote," he could hear Professor Snape say in obvious exasperation.

"Fawkes' tears don't work?" Professor Dumbledore's ghost replied in apparent disbelief.

"Thank you for summoning him, Albus," the Potions Master replied, sighing. "I believe the problem is that he is a fire phoenix, and his tears don't work for the Thestral Fire. We need the tears of a water or ice phoenix. The problem is that we don't have a water or ice phoenix, and I already sent Cicero to the Apothecaries last night. They don't have any phoenix tears to offer, since Fawkes is not residing at Hogwarts anymore," Snape added, seemingly upset.

"What are the exact effects of this illness?" the ghost of the former Headmaster enquired. "Are they life threatening?"

Poppy let out a loud sigh. "At the moment not. The students are merely suffering from effects like those of the Wizard's flu, except for a rash that looks like a pattern of firework and might be a bit tingly. However, on New Year's Eve, this rash is going to develop into real fireworks that will slowly burn the skin and most likely cause the students to suffer from grave injuries if not worse," she said gravely.

'_Fireworks all over my skin?_' Harry thought, absolutely terrified. '_What if..._' He slowly scrambled out of his bed and stepped around the corner only to hesitantly hover in the doorframe of the Mediwitch's office.

"Potter!" Snape was the first to take notice of him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Harry my dear boy," Dumbledore's ghost spoke up, completely ignoring the Potions Master's words. "Congratulations to the defeat of Voldemort."

"Thank you, sir. I'm sorry I couldn't help you at that time, Professor," Harry replied, noticing in annoyance that his voice sounded hoarse.

"You did your best, Harry," the ghost reassured him. "I think we..."

"Now Albus, Mr. Potter needs to go back to bed," Madam Pomfrey interrupted the former Headmaster, sounding very angry.

"Madam, give me a moment please," Harry said, turning to his Head of House. "Professor McGonagall, can you teach me how to become an Animagus? I'd like to try becoming a water phoenix. I wanted to practise the Animagus Transformation anyway."

"That is a wonderful idea, my boy." Ghost Dumbledore was the first to reply, while his colleagues stared at Harry, seemingly speechless.

"I should have taught the seventh years to become Animagi," McGonagall finally said, sighing in exasperation. "But it is too late. The only students, who might have managed a transformation into a magical animal at all, are Harry, Ms. Granger or the Weasley twins, and they are all sick..."

"Excuse me, Professor," Harry interrupted the Headmistress. "Only Hermione and I seem to be here. Where..." He slowly trailed off, noticing the Potion Master's glare lingering on himself.

"Almost everyone is affected by the Thestral Fire," McGonagall replied in a soft voice. "Ms. Granger and you were the first, which is why you are here. Everyone else is in their respective Houses, because they wouldn't have all fit in here."

"Okay, Professor, can you please teach me how to try to transform into a water phoenix?" Harry asked pleadingly. "Perhaps you could move the twins and Neville here, so that we can try together."

"Mr. Potter..." Madam Pomfrey began to speak, sounding very annoyed. However, she was interrupted by the ghost.

"Poppy," Dumbledore said gently, "maybe Harry's idea is not bad. I know that it is almost impossible to manage the Animagus transformation within a week, but..."

"Albus, it IS impossible, even a high dosage of lemon drops won't help with that," Snape sneered.

"We can at least try," Harry insisted. "Professor McGonagall, if you don't teach us, we're going to try on our own."

"Potter!" the Slytherin Head spat. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for your insolence and now leave!"

"Ah but isn't that a bit harsh, my boy?" Ghost Dumbledore threw in, gently placing a silverish hand on the Potions Master's shoulder.

"Don't my boy me," Snape growled, "and no, it is not. Potter, what are you still doing here?"

Harry slowly retired to his bed, sighing in relief as his achy head came to lie on the pillow. '_Does Snape really think I'm going to give up so easily?_' he wondered as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

HP

Harry woke up to a tingling sensation running up and down his body. He lazily opened his eyes, seeing Madam Pomfrey wave her wand over him.

"Madam Pomfrey, please may Hermione and I return to Gryffindor if everyone else is there too?" he asked, letting out a huge yawn.

"No Mr. Potter," the Mediwitch said firmly. "For some reason, you and Ms. Granger are much worse off than everyone else. Therefore, I would like to keep the two of you here under observation. Don't worry Mr. Potter. Just try to sleep. We will find a solution to the problem on time."

'_Does she really believe that?_' Harry wondered, noticing that Pomfrey did not sound very convincing and looked extremely worried. '_I hope she is going to go to bed now_,' he thought. '_Then I need to decide how to proceed_.' To his relief, Pomfrey told him that she was going to retire to her private quarters and that he should not hesitate to call her if she was needed. Soon afterwards, he saw that the torches in her office were extinguished. '_Okay, what am I going to do now?_' he wondered. He pulled the book, which he had been reading on the Hogwarts Express, out of his robe pocket and eagerly skimmed the pages. '_I don't need all these descriptions; what I need is a crash course on how to become an Animagus within a week_,' he thought in desperation. Finally, he decided to wake up Hermione, knowing that if anyone would be able to skim a book within minutes it was her.

"Hermione, wake up," he whispered, gently shaking her shoulder.

"I'm tired," Hermione mumbled, trying to slap his hand away.

"You're going to be late for Transfiguration," Harry said urgently, causing Hermione to jerk awake.

She sat up in confusion, rubbing her eyes. "Harry, we're sick and it's Christmas. We don't have Transfiguration today," she said, reproachfully. "Are you feeling worse? Shall I fetch Madam Pomfrey?"

Harry let out a long sigh, before he told his friend what he had heard during the night. "So I need to transform into a water phoenix within a week," he finished his explanation.

Hermione sighed in exasperation. "Harry, do you know that there are only two registered Animagi in a century? Didn't Sirius tell us that it took him and your father three years to manage the Transformation? Why would we..."

"Because I don't want to see you suffer," Harry whispered like in a trance. He couldn't take his eyes off the girl's face. '_Why did I never notice how beautiful she is?_' he wondered. '_Even with the rash on her face, she still looks wonderful._' He pressed the book into Hermione's hands and said, "You don't have to practise. I'll do it, but I need you to help me. Read the book and tell me what to do."

He noticed immediately that this had been the right thing to say. Hermione didn't have to be told twice and obediently opened the book, quickly engrossing herself in her reading. While she eagerly skimmed the pages, now apparently fully awake, Harry observed her closely.

"Imagine the animal that you want to become and try to change each single part of your body into the respective part of the animal. Begin with your left hand," she finally read from the book.

"How does a water phoenix look like though?" Harry asked. "Is he blue?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Do you ever read? Oh well, it must be too much to ask. Yes Harry, a water phoenix is dark blue with emerald wing feathers. An ice phoenix is white with wing and back feathers in different shades of blue. All right then, go back to your own bed and we'll try, even if I'm quite sure that I don't have a chance to transform into a magical animal."

During the next few hours, the two seventh years feverishly tried to change their left hands into wings to no avail. Much too soon for his liking, Harry heard Madam Pomfrey bustle into the room and come over to them. '_Does she ever get any sleep?_' he thought. '_We need much more unsupervised time to practise_.'

However, to his relief, Madam Pomfrey told them, "I will be away in Professor Snape's lab and in the library for most of the day. If you need me for any reason, talk to the portrait of Professor Hufflepuff over there." She pointed to the portrait at the wall in her office, which was overlooking the hospital wing. "I have the small equivalent to her portrait in my robe pocket, so that she can alert me whenever I am needed."

HP

During the next few days, Harry and Hermione spent much time alone and used every minute to practise. However, they did not manage to spike as much as feathers let alone wings. It was during the night before New Year's Eve that Harry overheard a very disturbing conversation between Madam Pomfrey, Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall.

"Only forty-eight hours left, and we don't have a clue how we can help the students without the phoenix tears," Pomfrey said in a hushed voice, sounding very concerned. "I am especially worried about Ms. Granger and Mr. Potter, because they're much worse off than everyone else, which I can't understand. I believe that we should send both of them to St. Mungo's if their conditions don't improve tomorrow."

'_Oh no_,' Harry thought, terrified. '_Maybe it's worse because of our attempts to become Animagi. I'll tell Mione to give up_,' he resolved. '_As soon as she wakes up, I'll do that_.' He closed his eyes to get some more rest. However, sleep did not come easily. '_I just have to succeed_,' he thought. '_My friends did everything for me during the war; now I have to help them at any cost. I can't have all of them become hurt or even die just because I'm too stupid to manage the Animagus transformation_.'

In absolute desperation he summoned a huge amount of magic and slowly let it flow through his left arm into his hand as he imagined himself as a white phoenix that was circling the sky above the Quidditch pitch. '_Ouch_.' He let out a small hiss as a sharp pain hit his arm. '_What was that?_' He looked to where his hand was supposed to be, noticing that his whole arm was gone. Instead, he was spiking a white wing. '_A phoenix wing_,' he realised, feeling extremely relieved on the one hand, however, absolutely exhausted on the other hand. '_I can't give up now. I need to continue practising_,' he thought, realising in horror that he completely lacked energy. He resolved to go to Madam Pomfrey's office and ask the adults for help, hoping that they could give him some kind of potion to at least temporary restore his energy. Completely absorbed in his musings, he did not hear the alarm in Madam Pomfrey's office that alerted the Healer to the fact that his fever was spiking dangerously.

Just when he tried to muster the energy to scramble out of his bed, he heard footsteps as the three adults bustled into the room.

"Mr. Potter, what are you doing?" Pomfrey asked, glaring at him, before she spelled a fever reducing potion straight into his stomach.

Harry slowly pushed his covers back, revealing the ice phoenix wing. "Can you give me some kind of energy potion?" he asked, pleadingly. "I need to practise some more. I'm sure I will manage the complete transformation by tomorrow."

Pomfrey cast him a glare. "You will not do anything like that," she said firmly. "Minerva, can you please change Mr. Potter's arm back to his human form?"

"Poppy," McGonagall said thoughtfully. "Don't you think you and Severus could help Harry refill his magic, so that he would be able to try transforming the rest of his body? If he already managed to get as far within a few days' time, I'm fairly certain that he'll be able to manage the complete transformation by tomorrow night. Transforming the first wing is almost ninety percent of the achievement. I will stay with him and keep a close eye on him."

Harry cast the Headmistress a grateful look, before he turned his gaze to Snape, when the Slytherin spoke up, for once without the slightest hint of malice in his voice. "I believe that Mr. Potter already survived much more dangerous situations than a controlled and supervised attempt to complete a half-way done Animagus transformation. The worst that can happen is that he completely depletes his magic, which will become remedied within a few weeks. If he is willing to take the risk in order to save himself along with many other students from a much worse fate, we should consider supporting him in every possible way."

"Thank you sir," Harry whispered, feeling enormously relieved by the professor's words.

HP

During the following forty hours, Harry practised the Animagus transformation, while Professors McGonagall and Snape supervised him, trying to give him advice and help. Every twenty minutes, they made him stop practising and instructed him to sleep for an hour. Oblivious to Harry, during his naps, Pomfrey made a fuss over him and repeatedly spelled potions into his system, muttering to herself about her colleagues' irresponsibility.

It was late in the evening of New Year's Eve, when Harry finally managed to completely transform into an ice phoenix.

"Thank Merlin, he did it," Professor McGonagall said to her colleagues, sighing in relief as she closely examined the white phoenix with the blue back feathers, feeling very proud of her student.

"Very well then, if you can make him cry into the phial here, we'll be able to administer the potions on time," Snape said in his soft, baritone voice, holding out a tiny phial to the Headmistress.

However, the phoenix, who was sitting on the foot end of the bed, was completely exhausted. '_What am I supposed to do?_' Harry wondered, having no clue of how to cry without as much as a reason.

"Potter, you must cry into the phial," Snape instructed him, sounding slightly impatient.

#I know that but how?# Harry trilled urgently, not even considering that no one was able to understand him.

"Get on with it Potter; we don't have much time," Snape hissed, and like from far away Harry could hear the clock tower announce the new year.

Harry knew instinctively that everyone looked at him with a mixture of hope and exasperation, but he still felt unable to cry. '_I need Fawkes_,' he thought. '_I must ask him how to do that_.' However, he absolutely lacked the energy to change back into his human form in order to have anyone call Dumbledore's ghost respectively Fawkes.

"I must go and check on my Slytherins," Snape said, disappointment clear in his voice.

"No Severus, stay," Pomfrey threw in, pleadingly, reaching for his arm. "Ms. Granger is the worst. We must do something for her first." She bustled away, muttering to herself about fetching something.

"Oh Merlin," McGonagall blurted out, seemingly terrified.

Harry was unable to see Hermione from his position; however, he could hear his best friend moan in apparent agony. '_Oh no_,' he thought, horrified. '_Hermione; she is going to die if I can't get a grip on myself. I can't have her die. I love her, and I am the only one who can save her_.'

#Hermione, please be all right. I need you, and I love you,# he trilled, unconsciously forming a bond between his phoenix form and the young witch, to whom he felt closer than to anyone else. All of a sudden, he felt the tears come into his eyes.

Harry cried for the girl he loved and for all his other friends, whom he needed to save, feeling very relieved when he noticed that Pomfrey and Snape bustled around himself, knowing that they would manage to take and use his tears as needed. Only when he heard McGonagall say in a soft voice, "It's enough Harry. Stop crying and relax," he drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

HP

When Harry woke up, Professor McGonagall was sitting on the edge of his bed. "Thank you Harry," she said, gently petting his head feathers. "You saved many students' lives last night."

#Thank Merlin,# Harry trilled sleepily, letting out a huge yawn.

"Well Harry, go back to sleep, and when you wake up again and Madam Pomfrey is here as well, I will help you change back into your human form," the Headmistress said in a soft voice, smiling as he already drifted back to slumber.

By the time Harry's mind turned back to awareness, the hospital wing lay in the dark, except from one torch at the far end side of the room. From Madam Pomfrey's office, he could hear voices, but he could not understand what they were saying. '_I don't want them to make a fuss over me_,' he thought, resolving to try transforming back into his human form, while he was alone.

Harry summoned as much magic as he could and intensely imagined himself back in his human form. After an instant, he felt his body transform back. However, before he even realised that he had succeeded, his body erupted in an enormous pain as small fireworks exploded on his skin, making him feel as if his whole body was on fire.

"Harry, transform back immediately!" he heard someone shout like from far away.

In absolute panic, Harry let out a huge bout of magic that made him transform back into his ice phoenix form, right before his body succumbed to the deadly injuries.

HP

McGonagall, Snape and Pomfrey stared at the naked baby phoenix that was sitting on the bed in a pile of ice and snow. Their expressions held a mixture of shock and relief.

"Poppy, what is going to happen now?" the Headmistress was the first to find words. "Will he be a baby or back to his usual self if I transfigure him back to his human form? The injuries should be gone, shouldn't they?"

Pomfrey let out a long sigh. "Yes, he will be completely fine. However, you may not transfigure him back for at least three weeks, and I have no idea how old he will be when he'll be back in his human form."

'_Oh no_,' Harry thought in exasperation. '_Now that Hermione is safe, I don't want to become a baby. I will..._' Before he could further follow the thought, he drifted off to a much needed nap.

HP

When phoenix Harry woke up, huddled between a heap of blankets and cushions that kept his naked skin warm, he found himself on Hermione's lap.

"Happy New Year Harry," Hermione whispered, carefully petting his naked skin. "Thank you so much for saving my life."

#I'm glad you'we awwigh# Harry trilled in his baby phoenix voice, looking up in surprise when Hermione replied.

"Harry, I can understand your trills," she said in a soft voice. "I heard everything you said while being in your phoenix form. The professors think that you must have somehow bonded to me. I just want you to know that I love you too."

The small baby phoenix let out a series of happy trills, before he fell into an exhausted slumber.

HP

Three weeks later, Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey and Hermione were standing around Harry, and the Headmistress asked, "Harry, do you want to me to change you back into your human form, or do you prefer to try the transformation on your own?"

#I twy# Harry trilled back, smiling inwardly when Hermione translated his reply for the professor. He imagined himself back in his human form, gratefully noticing that Pomfrey quickly conjured a screen around his bed that saved him from views, right before he succeeded to transform.

After multiple wand wavings, Pomfrey deemed him completely fine and released him with the instruction not to do any magic for at least a week. "Take a shower and get dressed, and then you're right in time for dinner in the Great Hall," she said, smiling at the boy.

HP

An hour later, Harry slipped into the empty seat between Hermione and Neville at the Gryffindor table.

"I'm so happy to have you back, Harry. I love you," Hermione whispered into his ear.

"Love you too," Harry whispered back. "Will you become my girlfriend?" Seeing Hermione smile and nod, he leaned over and pulled her into a kiss, completely oblivious to the fact that everyone in the Great Hall was watching them.

"Quiet!" Snape's voice suddenly cut off the students' excited babbling and giggling. "As the Deputy Headmaster, I have an announcement to make." When the students quietened, he continued, "We have decided that Mr. Harry Potter deserves the Award of Hogwarts for saving all students from great danger. Thank you Mr. Potter." He held out a parchment, motioning Harry over.

Harry stumbled towards the Head table in confusion, thinking, '_Hell must be freezing over,_' as he accepted the award from the professor.

**The End**

_I wish all my readers a very Happy New Year 2011 - thank you so much for reading my stories and for your kind comments!_


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